


To Hunt Destiny

by Sixylicious



Series: To Defy Death [2]
Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Dark Brotherhood - Freeform, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-03
Updated: 2017-12-03
Packaged: 2019-02-10 06:53:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 908
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12906513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sixylicious/pseuds/Sixylicious
Summary: Finally the Night Mother has deemed his training complete. Now the Listener can begin to search for his destiny, the Family bound by blood he was destined to return to greatness. Leaving his old life behind was nothing, not when this awaited.





	To Hunt Destiny

**Author's Note:**

> Set in 4E 194, 7 years before the game begins. Khati is 17, and Kemosiri (the future Dragonborn, mentioned only) is 16.

_'Wake up, my son. It is time.'_

The Khajiit rolled over, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. A glance out the window told him it was the middle of the night; he was certainly the only one awake. He could slip away and no one would be aware until he was long gone, vanished into the night and the shifting sands of the desert outside Hegathe.

_'Your brothers and sisters need you, child.'_

Khati's smile widened into a grin. Finally, he was ready! The Night Mother would lead him to his Family and he would help them return to greatness. He quickly got up and grabbed a satchel from under his bed, a few handfuls of gold already waiting inside. He'd known this night was coming. Once he was dressed in his dark leathers, a few sets of clothes went into the satchel, as did his blanket and his cloak. The nights in the Alik'r were cold, and he would not want to be unprepared. 

With his satchel over his shoulder, Khati left his room in disarray, closing the door silently behind him. Down the hall, the door to the master bedroom was slightly ajar, revealing a Redguard man and woman asleep in their bed. The Khajiit only hesitated for a moment before passing the room by, his steps as silent as the night. Whether Meti and Tameri missed him or not would not matter; Khati was leaving to claim his destiny. Another room as well caused him to pause, though the door to this one was closed and faint snores could be heard from within. The Khajiit hesitated for a moment, his expression unreadable. This was Kemosiri's room, his almost brother, though it didn't matter now. The Redguard teen had a new family in the Alik'r warriors, and the Khajiit had only the Night Mother.

_'It is better this way,'_ the Night Mother whispered. _'He would only try to stop you. He will never understand our bond.'_

_'I know, Mother.'_

With that, Khati passed Kemosiri's room by as well. The Redguard teen asleep inside remained unaware, his snores remaining regular.

Once in the kitchen, the Khajiit dug through the cupboards, tossing food into his satchel as he went. Two full skins of water also went into the satchel. His destination first was Sentinel, a good two weeks ride from Hegathe, and the desert showed no mercy to those who came unprepared. Finally, his two daggers and his scimitar went into their sheaths at his sides. The empty spots on the family weapon rack and the food missing from the cupboards would be the only signs of the Khajiit's departure.

Khati closed the door of the house behind him and proceeded to the stable, where his gelding waited. The gelding was black like the desert night, chosen several months ago for its ability to aid him in his flight. Together, no one would spot them.

Tameri would wake hours later with the rising of the sun, and the Khajiit she had raised from a young child would be long gone, his tracks in the sand erased by the winds.

***

When she noticed the weapons of her Khajiit son missing, Tameri initially paid it no mind. Khati had only gotten wilder in the years since Kemosiri had joined his father in the Alik'r, and the Redguard woman knew he frequently disappeared for a day or two. She assumed, though she would be proved wrong, that this was simply one of those times. It was the amount of food missing that caused her to pause. A whole week's worth of food was gone, as well as two water skins. Khati had never taken that much before. The deeply ingrained instincts of a mother led Tameri next to the Khajiit's room. When she opened the door, the color drained from her face and she whispered a prayer to the Divines. The room was in complete disarray. Khati's clothing, his armor, even his blanket and cloak were gone. The bed was cold. He had been gone for hours. The empty spot in the stable only confirmed Tameri's fears. Where had her son gone? Would he return?

Meti woke next to his wife's hand on his shoulder and a worried expression planted firmly on her face.

"Meti, he's gone. Khati's gone."

The Redguard man's eyes widened. "What?"

"He's taken everything," Tameri explained, keeping her voice soft so as not to risk waking her other children. "His clothes, his armor, his weapons. Even food to last him a week."

"His horse?"

Tameri nodded. Meti frowned and sat up, immediately noticing that the house felt empty. What his wife said was true then. Khati was gone.

"Will he come back?" Tameri asked, her expression worried still. "He's never left like this before."

Meti sighed and drew his wife into an embrace. No, something told him, though he wasn't sure how he knew. The Khajiit they both thought of like a son was gone, and only the Divines knew where he was going or if he would ever return. "Wherever he is going," Meti murmured, "Please Divines, keep him safe and bring him back to us."

The tears that Tameri had been holding back since she discovered Khati was gone finally overflowed. "What will we tell Siri?" she asked. "This will destroy him."

Meti could only shake his head. They would have to tell Kemosiri the truth and pray their son did not do anything rash.


End file.
